By Emma Ward

 

How can companies develop their brand via social media? It’s a question that’s top of the agenda for many companies right now and one that was considered in detail at a PRCA Expert briefing (http://www.prca.org.uk/events) I went along to recently.

 

The two speakers, Jono Marcus, director at BRANDO, and Meaghan Ramsey,Global Social Mission Manager at Unilever, broke down the subject and gave really valuable pointers on how to best use social media to create a truly successful PR and marketing campaign.

 

1. Plan – social media activity should be planned in from the outset, and not form an add-on to a campaign.

 

2. Benchmark – how are your competitors using the digital environment?

 

3. Channel – always consider which social media channel is the most appropriate, rather than heading straight for the high profile ones!

 

4. Be consistent – ensure the tone of voice remains the same across all channels to reinforce the personality of the brand.

 

5. Listen – what’s already being said about your brand? Conduct a ‘listening exercise’ and monitor online conversations about your brand. What people are saying about your brand will provide useful insight and inspiration for a campaign.

 

6. Get real – in the social media world, people want to know the real story. So tell it to them. Personalise your communication, be genuine about who you are as a company and be transparent – people will see through any spin!

 

7. What’s the value? Use social media to provide added value, such as a special offer, exclusive event, competition or money off.

 

8. Integration – the use of social media should tie in with rest of marketing and pr campaign.

 

9. Move fast – you have to plan ahead but also be prepared to act quickly to match the pace of online conversations.

 

10. Relationships – social media is all about interacting and developing links with people. Your brand grows every day through interactions with new people.